Sketchnote Advent Calendar: 11 – Diana Soriat

Diana is the third of the Fab Four in this advent calendar of Sketchnoters. The Fab Four is the group of German Women Sketchnoters who mastermind he International Sketchnote Camp in Hamburg in 2017. I met Diane Siorat twice. At the International Sketchnote were she was an organizer. In Lisbon for ISC18LX.

I attended her session on bullet journal. I tried several times to take on the #bujo habit. My main problem was that it was too lifeless. Very quickly during the day would be buried below other papers, objects would cover the said journal and put it out of reach.

Diana has a stylish approach of the Bullet Journal. If you watch her videos, you’ll be convinced, like me, that she has a stylish approach to everything. Her videos are carefully crafted to inspire the desire to follow her way.

To her credit, she put me back on track for the bullet journal. Don’t think that mine is anywhere near as nice as her.

I took 2 things important from her:

Use the bullet journal as a decorated object. I take a some time every months to write the weeks with colors. I added a bookmark with long-term tasks. Like this, they belong to every week. I place markers where months starts etc. Nothing very fancy but it goes beyond the monastic unattractive black pen booklet I had. It’s the same booklet, it just changed my attention to it.

Doodle, write on the journal as on any other sketchnote book. Now that’s interesting. I’m always in search of a piece of paper to drop an idea. My idea of it is: If it’s a sketch, it’s ok. If it’s a scribble, in oblique, hastily written, it’s the wrong place.

Since I made those change the habit sticks. I’m now a proud owner of a bullet journal since … November 2016. Coincidence. It’s a thick booklet. I still have many pages for 2019. Yet, I’m tempted to start a new one with the booklet Diana gave me in Lisbon.

Wen we met in Lisbon I took the occasion to grab more tips on the encoding of bullets: events, tasks etc … I’m still learning but now I found a good master.

I will not share my bullet journal cuz it’s really a landmine and not pretty at all. Go to Diana’s page instead.

I realized as I wrote this page that we don’t have many male sketchnoters in the stylish register. No beautifully decorated sketchnotes, videos sharing new pens or tools. There is a gap to fill. Won’t be me I’m afraid.